The M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Medium Anti-Vehicle / Assault Weapon (M41 SSR MAV/AW), formally known as the Medium Anti-Vehicle / Assault Weapon, Bore 102mm, M41 Surface-to-Surface Rocket Launcher, and commonly known as the Jackhammer or the SPNKR (also stylised as SPNKr), is a heavy ordnance weapon used by the UNSC and Insurrectionists.[4] It is manufactured by Misriah Armory.[1][7][8] While it was obsolete before the Human-Covenant War began it was not replaced by the M57 Pilum until October 2558.[4] However, even after it was replaced it remained popular in War Games matches aboard the UNSC Infinity.[9]

Though there have been various shoulder-launched rocket launchers in service with the UNSC Armed Forces since its creation, only the M41 rocket launcher has the tactical importance to be heavily manufactured.[4] The M41 SSR has been in service with the UNSC for decades, as early as the Insurrection.[7]

The M41 rocket launcher fires M19 102mm high-explosive shaped charge missiles. The weapon uses a unique system for loading and firing: rather than using a traditional magazine or single-shot system, it is fed by a pair of detachable barrels, each of which holds a single rocket. When one of the rockets is fired, the other is cycled into place; when both have been fired, the operator removes the barrel unit and inserts another. This allows the operator to quickly reload while in combat and greatly reduces the weight he carries without throwing the weapon away, as with some disposable rocket launchers of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.[7]

The M41 rocket launcher features a 2× smart-linked sight, allowing users to fire rockets over long distances with devastating accuracy, although the rockets' altitude decreases over long distances. Many M41s and their M19 rockets are equipped with target tracking systems;[1] these systems allow the operator to "home" on a target, which often guarantees that the target will be struck, even if it attempts evasive maneuvers. Some launchers are capable of tracking both ground-based and airborne targets,[10][11] while others are capable of tracking only aircraft.[12] Some M41s lack any form of tracking technology, requiring the operator to "dumb fire" the weapon without targeting assistance.[13][14][15]

Some M41s feature a trigger guard, and an ergonomic thumbhole stock, adding the impression of greater bulk.[12][16] However, other versions lack these design features, possessing only a pistol grip and no trigger guard, resulting in a more skeletal overall appearance.[10][11][14][15]

SPNKr EM: Improved variant with four rockets per magazine and is able to lock onto ground and air vehicles.[9]

SPNKr EX: Advanced vriant that fires laser-guided cluster warhead rockets that detonate in proximity to enemies, releasing an effect similar to the fields of splinter grenades, albeit without the disintegration effect.[9]

SPNKr Prime: Mythic variant that fires fast, powerful rockets. Spartans that use the SPNKR Prime in War Games also get boosts to movement speed, shield strength, and jump height.[9]

The rocket launcher spreads a huge amount of damage over a large area. It is capable of taking out entire groups of infantry at any range and can kill both the passengers and crew of nearly any vehicle like the M808B Main Battle Tank or a Wraith. Its ability to fire two shots in rapid succession is also a major advantage.

The M41 SSR, though powerful, is implemented in-game as an anti-vehicle weapon, not designed for engaging infantry. Thus, its reload time is quite slow, as it takes about three to five seconds for the M41 to be fully reloaded. The rockets are slow and leave a trail of smoke in their wake, giving away the operator's position. Ammunition is often limited or unavailable, and the operator can carry only six extra rockets at once, for a total of 8 rounds. The biggest disadvantage to the operator is the blast radius of a rocket; if fired too close the splash damage can severely injure or kill its operator if fired carelessly into surrounding terrain or at a close enemy.

The M41 SSR is an exclusive weapon that can be purchased with 1000 Credits in both games. It is provided with 150 ammunition with a very high fire rate but a damage output 30% less than original damage (requiring five shots to destroy a Wraith). In Spartan Strike Mission E-5: Hold the Line, the player can equip the Rocket Launcher scattered around the LZ for free.

The weapon was identified as the M19 SSM rocket launcher in the game manuals of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 as well as in the Art of Halo 3. It was also referred to in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx as the M19 missile launcher. It was established in Halo: The Essential Visual Guide that M19 SSM refers to the rocket ammunition while the launcher itself is designated as the M41.[1]